Los Angeles – Dominant pitching and a three-run second inning by the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, UCLA, gave CSUF softball a 5-1 loss at the Easton Stadium on Tuesday night.
“I feel pretty good about the performance, (but) we got some things to fix,” said CSUF head coach Kelly Ford.
Bruins pitcher Megan Faraimo (9-1) pitched a complete game for UCLA, her seventh of the year. Faraimo struck out 11 batters on a season-high 132 pitches while giving up one run on three hits.
“We’re capable of more, we left too many runners in scoring position,” Ford said. On the night, the Titans were 1-for-8 with runners on, and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Sophomore Taylor Dockins (2-5) got the start for CSUF and was handed her second-straight loss this year. The righthander would pitch 1 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. It would be the first time that Dockins failed to record at least one strikeout one in her last six appearances.
The Titans would add some baserunners in the top of the second as freshman Daisy Munoz extended her on-base streak to 11 games, but Faraimo would strike out another two Titans to end the threat.
“I’m just sticking to my plan and going up there with a loose mind and focusing on what I need to do,” Munoz said.
All nine UCLA batters came to the plate in the bottom of the second, with catcher Paige Halstead’s single up center field being the first hit of the game. Senior Zoe Shaw would follow it with another hit up the middle, and Kelli Godin would hit an infield single to load the bases for Briana Perez, who hit a single to left field to bring in two runners to give the Bruins the lead.
Then Aaliyah Jordan drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to three. The run that ensued ended Dockins’ night as she was replaced by freshman Dani Martinez.
Daesha Hill would open up the top of the fourth with a shot over the center field wall to get CSUF on the board and break up Faraimo’s no-hitter. The home run was Hill’s third of the year and gave her 24 RBIs this season.
After two outs started the bottom of the fourth for UCLA, Perez drew a walk and was brought in on a moonshot home run over the trees outside the Easton Stadium by center fielder Bubba Nickles. It was Nickles’ ninth home run of the season which is a team high..
Junior Sophie Frost took over for Martinez in the bottom of the fifth. Martinez finished the night pitching 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and striking out two Bruins.
Faraimo came out for the final inning and retired the side, striking out two more Titans and getting Kelsie Whitmore to ground out to her to secure the win.
With the loss, the Titans end their non-conference schedule at 20-13 and will begin Big West conference play this weekend
“Everybody starts a new season, and we’re focused on the most important game of the season, which is the 1 o’clock game on Saturday against Santa Barbara,” Ford said.
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